Anti-climbing shield for towers



April 7, 1959 D. 'r. WATKINS' 2,

ANTI-CLIMBING SHIELD FOR TOWERS Filed June 22, 1956 m S m W W W 2 1 A 8 w T D r 2 W Y 5 A B m D Fall/A u a M 447 v k g 4 5 elvw l m Hi, 5 \\\\H\\ Q m Ev -hhwii mm: /..mm Q m a 6 I. 8 l lL. 2 m 6 2 L IIHHHHHE. 7 2 2 WI I J 4 4 4 3 2 my JV United States Patent O ANTI-CLIMBING SHIELD FOR TOWERS David T. Watkins, Lacon, Ill. Application June 22, 1956, Serial No. 593,273 1 Claim. (Cl. 189--32) This invention relates to improvements in open-work towers, such as television antenna towers, and more particularly to an improved anti-climbing shield therefor.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an eflicient and elfective device of this kind which is especially, but not exclusively designed for installation on towers having vertically spaced bars which serve as steps and hand grips for workmen in climbing and descending the towers, the device being of a length to bridge and cover several vertically adjacent tower bars so as to prevent use of such bars for climbing or descending a tower past the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide an anticlimbing shield of the character indicated, which can be readily and economically manufactured, is easily installed, and is highly satisfactory for the purpose intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a television antenna tower having thereon an anti-climbing shield of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary exploded perspective view showing the shield partially installed on the tower;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 3--3 of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a conventional television antenna tower, indicated generally at 10, comprises parallel vertical standards 12, 14, and 16 which are suitably anchored at their lower ends in the ground G, and form a tower of polygonal cross section, such as triangular. Vertically spaced horizontal cross bars 20 extend between and are fixed to adjacent ones of the standards, in groups 18 whose bars 20 are on the same level. The bars 20 serve as steps and hand grips for workmen ascending and descending the tower for installing and servicing such as a television antenna, indicated generally at 22, on the upper end of the tower 10.

The illustrated anti-climbing shield, indicated generally at 24, is of suflicient height to bridge three or four adjacent bar groups 18, so as to prevent climbing of the tower past the shield 24.

The anti-climbing shield 24 comprises a vertically elongated V-shaped sheet metal body, indicated generally at Patented Aprc 7, 1959 26, having angularly related side walls 28 and 30 which have co-planar laterally inwardly projecting flanges-32 and 34, and a flat removable wall, indicated generally at 36, which is of the same height as the body 26, but is preferably slightly narrower than the distance between the free edges of the side walls 28 and 30 of the body 26. The junctures of the side walls 28 and 30 of the body 26 with each other, and the junctures of the flanges 32 and 34 with the free edges of the side walls 28 and 30 are curved, as indicated at 40 and 42, respectively, so as to make firm and conforming engagement with related standards of the tower 10.

The removable wall 36 has vertically spaced bolt holes 44 and 46 near its side edges which are registrable with bolt holes 48 and 50 in related flanges 32 and 34 of the body 26, and bolts 52 are extended through related bolt holes so as to secure the removable wall 36 in place, on the outer sides of the flanges, with the corners 40 and 42 of the body 36 embracing the outer sides of related ones of the standards 12, 14 and 16.

On the upper end of the removable wall 36 is a hook flange 54 which extends for the major portion of the width of the removable wall 36, and has an inward and downward bend 56 which terminates in a full width de pending flange 58 which is spaced from and parallel to the inward side of the wall 36.

When installing the shield 24, the hook flange 54 is engaged over a bar 20 extending between the upper ends of the flanges 32 and 34 of the body 26 at the upper end of the body, the body 26 having been engaged on the tower 10 at the desired level, and the removable wall 36 then secured to the flanges 32 and 34, as above described, so that the removable wall 36 serves the further purpose of suspending the shield 24 in a selected place in the tower 10, preferably at a point spaced above the ground G, as shown in Figure 1.

In order to prevent accidental disengagement of the hook flange 54 from an engaged bar 20, a bolt 53 is extended through the removable wall 36 and the hook flange 58 below the engaged bar 20.

Although the described embodiment of the invention relates to a triangular cross section tower, the body 26 of the anti-climbing shield can be altered in shape to accommodate it to towers of other polygonal cross sections, such as square.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Since numerous modifier tions and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construct-ion and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a polygonal cross section tower comprising laterally spaced standards forming corners of the tower and having lower ends, and vertically spaced cross bars extending between and secured to adjacent standards above the lower ends of the standards, a sheet metal body having angularly related side walls, a first means extending between and joining adjacent side walls and defining corners with said side walls, said sheet metal body having outer flanges projecting inwardly, second means joining said flanges to the adjacent side walls and defining corners, said body embracing the tower with corners thereof embracing the outer sides of related tower standards and extending between vertical spaced cross bars, and a rewall extending between and overlapping "said flanges and secured thereto, said removable wall having a hook flange on its upper end supportably engaged over a tower cross bar, said hook flange having an inward and downwardly bend engaged over the cross bar, said 5 bend terminating in a depending flange engaging the inward side of the cross bar, and retaining means extendingibetween and secured to said depending flange and the movable wall at a level below the related tower 3038 bar.

References Cited inthe'file of patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Chapman Aug. 26, Auchu June 8, Gustafson Mar. 28, Shipps Feb. 22, Camp Mar. 24, Bennett July 18, 

